1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates primarily to the area of equestrian activities and the general area of safe horsemanship. More specifically, it is directed toward a device for enhancing a horseman's ability to more easily mount a four legged animal such as a horse.
2. Prior Art
The purpose of the traditional saddle stirrup is to aid the horseman in mounting a horse and getting into the saddle. It functions by loosely, but securely, hanging vertically lower than and in line with the position of the horseman's legs when in the saddle. This provides both a means for the horseman to step up into the saddle and a means for the horseman to support and balance their self when in the saddle. Additionally, once the horseman is in the saddle, the stirrup provides the horseman with a means of balance and stability while riding the horse.
For various reasons, a person often has difficulty mounting a horse. The primary difficulty is that a person must step very high in order to place their foot into the stirrup. Shorter people usually have the greatest difficulty because they must step proportionately higher than taller people and this disparity is even greater when the horse is a taller horse.
Often riders must find some sort of aide such as standing on a stool, a rock, a fence, or anything that they can stand on to shorten the step they have to take in order for them to get their foot into the stirrup. This can be both problematic and a safety hazard. Most often there are no aiding devices available at the time and place that the rider needs them. On a trail ride, for example, one cannot always find something of the right height to stand on. It is a safety hazard because random aiding devises are not typically very solid and may tend to move when mounting the horse. Additionally, a horse is often nervous and fidgety when being asked to stand still next to an inanimate object while being mounted. This is sometimes a hazardous situation.
Horse saddle stirrups are historically designed to be attached to a saddle and held in place by a leather strap. This strap is typically adjustable to accommodate different leg lengths or preferences of riders. Typically the desired length of the stirrup strap while riding in the saddle is too high for the rider to comfortably step up to mount the horse. An adjustment to the length of the stirrup strap to minimize the step up requires the rider to be dismounted. Unfortunately, once adjusted the height is fixed and now the rider must ride with a stirrup well below his foot.
Prior art includes a somewhat retractable device disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,688,088 issued to Aweeka. Aweeka discloses a device that assists a rider by providing a lowered step to insert the right foot into and then the left foot is inserted into the riding stirrup in a manner similar to the steps of a ladder. Although this device can be of assistance to the rider in mounting a horse, it is cumbersome and leaves part of the device hanging below the stirrup where it is exposed to other objects such as brush or low lying limbs of a tree that may snag it or, in some cases, it could be something the horse or the rider could possibly become entangled in. This is an unacceptable risk level for the trail rider or any riding that takes place outside of the safe confines of the clinical setting of a professional arena.
Another device disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,026,633 issued to Burke is a stirrup device that “includes a crossbar, a first U-shaped member, a second U-shaped member slidably connected to the first U-shaped member and a retraction mechanism” for facilitating the mounting of a riding animal. This device has a very complicated retraction and retention mechanism that requires a spring latching feature that would easily become non-functional with a minimal amount of dirt and wear. The complication of this device would make it extremely expensive to manufacture.
Another device disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,809,754 issued to Schulte provides an auxiliary mounting step which is pivotal and is generally under and adjacent to the tread of the stirrup. The rider is assisted in mounting the saddle by unfolding and rotating the auxiliary step so it is in a position to provide a step below the stirrup thereby assisting the rider by providing a lower step. This device employs a spring which is very vulnerable to wear and its reliability under heavy use is questionable. Additionally, it is awkward to fold up and even in the retracted or folded position the device cannot be completely out of the way and therefore is exposed to being snagged.
Another mounting device disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,661,957 issued to Daly employs a ratchet assembly mechanism that utilizes a gear rack and spring assembly approach to lower the stirrup for easier mounting. This device does provide the rider with an adjustable height. However, this method leaves an awkward and cumbersome piece of equipment that must be tolerated by both the horse and the rider.
Prior art has, in one fashion or another, attempted to address the issue of providing a device to make it easier for a rider to mount an animal under a saddle. The result, in most cases, has been a device that either compromises the utility, dependability, appearance or level of safety of the traditional western stirrup.
There is a need for a device for assisting in the mounting of a saddled animal, such as a horse, that is simplistic in function for ease of manufacture, dependable, and safe for the rider as well as the animal.